MANAGING THE PROBATION, WELFARE AND GUARDIAN AD LITEM SERVICES TEAM. MANAGERIAL COMPETENCE

The aim of the article is to present the aspects of managing the probation, welfare and guardian ad litem services team in the context of the managerial competence of the team manager. Based on a literature study, it has been emphasized that the level of managerial competence of a manager has a signifi cant impact on the eff ectiveness of team management. The first part of the article was devoted to the organization of the probation, welfare and guardian ad litem services team. Then, defi nition and functions of management were described. The tasks of the team manager are presented in reference to particular management functions. Afterwards, problematic aspects of managerial competences were presented. The key competences of a team manager were indicated, based on the managerial competence model developed by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. Also presented, was the impact of these competences on the eff ects of work. The summary highlighted the necessity of conducting empirical research, in order to explore the level of the team manager’s managerial competences as a determinant in the direction of changes and intensifi cation of training of managerial staff . It was also used as the basis for developing a model of the managerial competence of a person managing a team of probation officers. In the author’s opinion, managing the probation, welfare and guardian ad litem services team is an important aspect of the manager’s activity, and shaping professionalism in this fi eld becomes a serious challenge. Therefore, the team manager faces multi-dimensional requirements as the executor of the management process. They relate to qualifi cations in the area of knowledge, skills and experience, including managerial competences, as well as personality traits and ethical attitudes. By analysing the current state of knowledge in the field of managing the probation, welfare and guardian ad litem services team, one can get the impression that there are no publications that would develop this topic from the perspective of management science. Therefore, the article aims to partially fill the cognitive gap in this respect.